Athena
"Enough Kratos! With every city you destroy, the wrath of Olympus grows. Soon I will no longer be able to protect you. Do not forget that it was I who made you a god, Ghost of Sparta. Do not turn your back on me." - Athena Greek Mythology Athena (pronounced /əˈθiːnə/) or Athene (/əˈθiːniː/; Attic: Ἀθηνᾶ, Athēnā or Ἀθηναία, Athēnaia; Epic: Ἀθηναίη, Athēnaiē; Ionic: Ἀθήνη, Athēnē; Doric: Ἀθάνα, Athana; Latin: Minerva), also referred to as Pallas Athena (Παλλάς Αθηνά; pronounced /ˈpæləs/), is the goddess of civilisation, wisdom, strength, strategy, craft, justice and skill in Greek mythology. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patron of Athens. The Athenians built the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honour (Athena Parthenos). In the God of War series Kratos slaughtered countless lives while he was in servitude to Ares – Athena’s half-brother. During this time, Ares ordered his servant to destroy a village that worshipped Athena. Blinded by bloodlust, Kratos was warned not to enter a sacred temple, for it would be the greatest sin he would ever commit. The villagers stood no chance against the Spartans; they were massacred mercilessly. Kratos, inside the forbidden temple, killed his wife and child. He had been decieved by the very god who once saved his life. Watching from Mount Olympus, Athena witnessed everything, taking pity on Kratos. She would help Kratos to be forgiven of his sins and one day take vengeance upon Ares. ''God of War'' Out of utter hatred and jealousy towards Athena, Ares summoned monsters from the Underworld and lay siege on Athens. During this time, Kratos had been battling the destructive Hydra in the Aegean Sea. Athena guided Kratos with her wisdom and knowledge, leading him to reaching his ultimate goal – the secret to destroying a god. Athena told Kratos that in order to destroy Ares he would have to retrieve Pandora's Box, a sacred item left in the ancient temple chained to the back of the [[Titan]] [[Cronos]]. Kratos would have to travel through the Desert of Lost Souls and traverse the many traps and secrets of Pandora's Temple. If he were to unleash the power of the box, he would truly be able to defeat the god of war once and for all. After thousands of years Pandora’s Box was discovered. Kratos had done the impossible. Athens had been left in ruins, but that would not stop Ares from begging for Zeus’ approval. By killing Kratos and stealing Pandora’s Box, Ares hoped that Zeus would finally see who was more worthy of being his favourite child. However, Kratos returned even from the Underworld, and managed to unleash the power of the box. After a ruthless battle, Ares was defeated. Athena promised Kratos that the sins of his past would be forgiven, but taking away the pain of his actions was beyond even the power of the goddess. only the fates could change that. With all hope lost, Kratos felt abandoned and flung himself from the Suicide Bluffs overlooking the Aegean Sea, believing death was his only escape from the nightmares. It was not as it seemed, as Athena saved Kratos from falling to his death. The gods had not abandoned Kratos at all. Athena gave Kratos the throne of Ares and was given the title of God of War. She also granted him the Blades of Athena, weapons far more powerful than the Blades of Chaos. ''God of War II'' As the new god of war, Kratos was far more ruthless than Ares ever was. He was shunned by his fellow gods and in anger towards them for not ridding him of his nightmares he turned to the Spartan army. Together, they began conquering all of Greece. Athena warned Kratos that if he did not stop his path of destruction, the wrath of Olympus would grow ever stronger and she would not be able to protect him. Kratos, sneering at Athena, turned his back on her and fled to the island of Rhodes where his Spartan army lay siege. Athena was left with no other choice but to help rid Kratos of Olympus. As a mighty colossal god, Kratos tore apart the city of Rhodes until an eagle flew over him, casting a reign of magic that would shrink him down to mortal size. Kratos believed it was Athena’s act of defiance against Kratos, until it was actually revealed to be the king of the gods himself – Zeus. During Kratos’ journey through the Island of Creation, he came upon the Garden of the Gods, where a golden statue of Athena warned him not to listen to Gaia or the Titans. She explained to Kratos that there were more important things besides seeking revenge and that Zeus did what he had to in order to protect Olympus. The king of the gods did in fact fear Kratos. The warnings of Athena did not startle Kratos, and he continued his path of vengeance until facing Zeus once again. Taking the Blade of Olympus, Kratos plunged Zeus with it repeatedly until Athena intervened. Angered by Athena’s intervention, Kratos pushes her aside and strikes at the fleeing Zeus. Athena threw herself in front of Zeus before he could be stabbed, and fell by Kratos’ hand. Saddened by what he had done, Kratos asked Athena why she would sacrifice herself. Athena replied that Zeus must live so that Olympus prevailed. She also revealed that Kratos was the bastard child of Zeus, compelled to destroy his father just as Zeus had done to Cronos and Cronos had done to Uranus. Sickened by this very fact, Kratos claimed he had no father, leaving Athena to die. The time of Olympus would come to an end. Relationships Athena was very devoted to protecting Olympus and her father, Zeus. She was favored by Zeus among the rest of his children, causing the jealousy of the god Ares. In both God of War and God of War II, it is noticed that Athena cares very much for Kratos, maybe because she already knew Kratos is her brother. Kratos was shown to care about her to a degree, since he was saddened by the fact that he killed her when he tried to kill Zeus, whom despite favoring Athena, showed no emotion over her death. Powers and Abilities As a goddess, Athena was able to appear in many forms and was Invincible. Like all other gods, she was Immortal and very powerful, only able to be killed by the power of the Blade of Olympus and pandora's box . She gave Kratos the Rage of the Gods in God of War to use to destroy his enemies. She bears two katan swords on her back, which was used to stop Kratos from killing Zeus with the Blade of Olympus. She also had the power to communicate through various statue depictions of herself, usually doing so to guide Kratos. Trivia *In God of War and God of War II, Athena is voiced by Carole Ruggier, who also did the voice of Athena in the video game ''Age of Mythology''. *In God of War II, one of the Bonus Costumes allows Kratos to become Athena. *She is the only goddess that plays a major role in both games. *With her death, both the original God and Goddess of War have died. Related Pages *Gods *Athens *Athena (Costume) *Athena's Swords Gallery Image:Athena.JPG|Concept art for Athena in God of War. Image:Athena.jpg|Athena's statue in the Desert of Lost Souls in God of War. Image:Athena_3.jpg|Concept art for Athena's statue in God of War. Image:Athena_4.jpg|''Gamespot.com'' screenshot of Athena in God of War II. Category:Characters Category:God of War 1 Characters Category:God of War 2 Characters Category:God of War:Chains of Olympus Characters Category:Immortals Category:Relatives of Zeus Category:Deceased characters Category:Gods